The bodhisattva of compassion (Avalokiteśvara), the most widely worshipped figure of Chinese Buddhism, usually shown as a woman in white. In 西游记 she guides the pilgrims; her holy island is 普陀山.
观音 is short for 观世音: the 世 was dropped in the Tang dynasty, partly because it was in the personal name of Emperor Taizong, 李世民, and writing it was taboo. The short form stuck.
Chinese form of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit 'the one who perceives the cries of the world'). Originally depicted as male in Indian Buddhism, Guanyin took on an overwhelmingly female appearance in Chinese Buddhism from the Tang-Song period onward. Revered across Mahayana Buddhism; also appears in 《西游记》 as a key helper to the pilgrims. Sacred site: 普陀山 in Zhejiang.
